Jamil Salmi and Alenoush Saroyan 4 Universities in Innovation and Economic Development Sachi Hatakenaka

participating in key committees and advisory boards and
expanding local economic activities. 
Relevance as a University Mission 
In many countries, higher education institutions are or aspire
to be focused on academic research with little practical orienta-
tion. There is also a strong tendency for academic and research
drift. Institutions with a practical orientation often become
more academic, and teaching-focused institutions become
more research oriented. One reason for these changes has
been the dominant interpretation of “scientific autonomy,”
which was often interpreted to encourage isolation from exter-
nal stakeholders.
Today it is seen as possible for scientists to undertake fun-
damental research while being motivated by practical rele-
vance—rather like Pasteur, the French biologist known for his
i n t e r n a t i o n a l h i g h e r e d u c a t i o n
international issues
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Scientific discoveries leading to industrial innova-
tions, particularly through academic spin-offs, pro-
vide a classic image of universities contributing to
economic development

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scientific research with significant societal impact. Indeed, for
some research universities, relevance is an integral part of
their mission, even as they aspire to be at the cutting edge of
research—the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT),
for example. While not all academics at research universities
engage in practically relevant research, MIT encourages
research focused on areas with a significant expected impact.
MIT has mechanisms for supporting interdisciplinary
research with many professional researchers (not just postdocs
or junior academics). This approach provides a contrast to sen-
ior academics in other countries—for instance in the United
Kingdom—whose performance is more tightly evaluated
according to their scientific publications.
Forward looking, teaching-focused institutions with a mis-
sion to provide relevant skills can also play a key role. They
help build “absorptive capacity” even if scientific discoveries
are not made locally. By quickly building human resources
with key knowledge and skill, universities can help develop
responsiveness in the labor market. Typical academics in such
institutions may not be known for cutting-edge science or
major publications, but understand the direction of scientific
progress and can update their education programs to meet
emerging industrial needs.